The early goose season is just around the corner for most hunters and we took the liberty of searching around for the newest and hottest goose calls that were released for the 2013-2014 season. Listed below in no particular order:

Field Proven’s Raptor – (Price Range: $30.00)

Field Proven released their Polycarbon goose call – Raptor. Available in either Pearl or Blue. Shop Wing Supply.

Addicted Goose Calls – (Price Range: $140.00)

Kelly’s Kalls – A call maker known for his Woodie Kall (Wood Duck call) and other fine wood calls released his Acrylic Addicted Goose Call line. Available in Black or Pearl with different colored engraved logos. Shop here.

Goey Calls Trainwreck – (Price Range $139.99)

Goey Calls release a big call in a small package. The Trainwreck, available in either Orange Pearl or Green Pearl packs some unexpected notes. Shop here.

Hayes Calls Meat Hook – (Price Range $79.95)

Hayes Calls, known for their Bad AZZ call line combined the barrel of their Bad Azz Goose call with a straight bore version of their Chain Gang Goose Call. A great call with a lot of low end murmur. Shop here.

Toxic Calls Angel De Morte’ – (Price Range $99.99)

Toxic Calls brings out their customizable Angel De Morte’ (Angel Of Death) with the guts at the bottom of the call and the longer barrel, you get the hollow sound of a Flute Call with the easy of operation of a Short Reed. Shop here.

Real Calls Goose Call – (Price Range $135.00)

Real Calls has introduced an odd but an effective goose call. Featuring a ball-shaped designed insert makes the calls feel and sound different. Shop here.

One of the most anticipated part of being a duck hunter is the start of Dove season. We get to practice our leading while shooting those fast flying and tasty birds. In the recent years, motion Dove decoys hit the market running at a full sprint. Most hunters would either have a wind operated decoy or a battery operated decoy along with a small bag full of “clip-on” decoys normally found clipped to a tree limb or bob-wire fence. This season, we have a cool new product that won’t break the bank, but help bring more Dove-closer.

Hunter’s Edge released their Dove Feeding Frenzy alongside their Winged Dove Decoy. The Dove Feeding Frenzy features three of their Winged Dove Decoys, which are hand painted to not only look real, but move just like the real thing. The Dove Feeding Frenzy rotates in a clock-wise circular bumping motion, making these decoys simulate feeding on the ground with other Doves.

The Winged Dove decoy is a single decoy that comes with a 24-inch stake allowing you to place it in a cut field or anywhere else where there is not an object for you to clip it to. However, when you’re hunting along a fence line or bank of a pond, the Winged Dove Decoys has a high quality metal clip for fences, tree limbs, a stick on the ground, etc.

The Avicide series by Toxic Calls. When flare and flash is not a term in your vocabulary. The AVICIDE series by Toxic is what your looking for. The guys over at Toxic have taken their Meat and Potatoes calls the NBD, NBD2 and the TBH. They produced them in a Black with White letters or White with Black letters and put a killer price on them. These calls are the exact same calls as their super popular custom calls, they just removed the flare. With a sounds that have been turning birds to their death, these calls have been labeled “AVICIDE”.

We’ve all been there. The scouting trip from the previous evening had pinpointed that perfect public land spot. The birds had poured in, the cover was thick enough to hide in and the wind was forecast to be perfect. Early the next morning you make the trek back to the spot, hopes high and spirits soaring with the promise of the high paced shooting to come. Then you see it, the tiny pinpoint beam of headlights in the distance that lets you know someone else had marked the spot as well. Or even worse, you get there and place your decoys, build your makeshift blind and hunker down to wait for shooting light only to watch someone come in and set up on top of you, ruining both your chances for a good hunt.

Photo courtesy of B. Pendley

Or maybe you have had the spot mostly to yourself for a while now. Several good hunts have resulted and it has been a pretty spectacular season so far. But lately the ducks are shy, flaring farther and farther out and refusing to work. No amount of added decoys or pleading calls can coax the fowl into shooting range. It is clearly time to make a change.

Photo courtesy of B. Pendley

It’s time to make a move. Hang up the decoy bags and break out the maps. Downsizing the water you hunt and the equipment you use can be just the ticket this time of year. Follow these simple steps to get back on the ducks.

Internet scouting can work: No, I am not talking about scanning the forums for grip and grin photos of successful hunts then paylaking their spots. Instead, pull up your hunting area on Google Earth or Wikimapia.org. Can’t get good images of your spot? Pick up a good old fashioned topo map of the area. Think back to previous hunts and scouting trips in the area. What flight path did most of the birds use? Check that area for smaller ponds and creeks away from the road. Keep an eye out for hardwood timber areas where beavers might have dammed a creek and flooded a section. Moving water can be particularly productive in the late season when standing water has locked up with ice.

Hang up the decoy bags: When you find a hot spot on small water, a half dozen decoys is more than enough spread to attract attention. To make up for the small number of decoys, run at least two of the six rigged as a jerk string. Ducks can pick up on the movement from remarkable distances as they fly over. Since you don’t need a lot of decoys, make the ones you do use the most lifelike available. As the birds make their fly overs, they will have time to check out each and every deke, make sure they pass inspection.

Leave the waders at home: I like a good pair of hip boots for small water hunting. To get away from high pressured public areas often requires one heck of a hike. Chest waders will wear you down in hurry. Most small waters are wade-able with hip or even knee boots. If you do find a deeper spot, pack your chest waders in a backpack and put them on when you get to your destination.

And keep the calls in your pocket: Well, not really, but tone your calling WAY down. High pressured birds have been hit with more highballs, feed chuckles and pleading comebacks than a contest judge in Stuttgart. Once the birds start to work, stick mainly with quiet chuckles and quacks. Throw in a drake call or two or mix things up with gadwall, pintail or wood duck calls to give the birds something they haven’t heard. When the birds are in range, take the shot. Wary birds over small water are hard to land. They might not make that extra pass either. Don’t pass a shot when you have it, you might not get another chance.

Next season, when the birds get shy and the crowds get thick, put these small water, low pressure tactics to work. The shooting might not be as hot and heavy as an open water blind with fresh birds, but it beats the heck out of sitting all day without picking up your gun.